In September, Bakula returned for the fifth season of NCIS: New Orleans as Special Agent Dwayne Pride, who was shot three times in the chest in the season four finale, so he came back to a whole new storyline in which Necar Zadegan as Special Agent Hannah Khoury takes over as the leader of the team and Pride moves on to a new job.

“He’s chosen to live, so he values the idea that it’s a miracle to a certain extent, and he wants to make the most of that and adjust the way he lives and adjust the way he sees the world and the way he helps people as well,” says showrunner Christopher Silber.

Prior to starring on NOLA, Bakula was probably best known for his Emmy-nominated role as Sam Beckett on Quantum Leap, the TV series Men of a Certain Age and Star Trek: Enterprise, as well as recurring roles on Looking, Desperate Housewives and Chuck, as well as his Emmy-nominated role in HBO’s TV movie about the life of Liberace, Behind the Candelabra.

In honor of his birthday, we are taking a look at 33 photos of Bakula on NOLA.